Access point for mobile wireless network node

A controller for a wireless node adapted to send data to and receive data from any of a plurality of internetworking nodes and to choose which of said internetworking nodes it will send data to and receive data from, said controller comprising:

• a memory for maintaining a table of interconnecting nodes meeting a first criterion wherein data from each internetworking node in the table shall have been received by said wireless node within a prescribed period of time;
• means for accessing the table for deleting interconnecting nodes not meeting a predefined tracking criterion;
• means for associating said wireless node with a first internetworking node listed in the table so that, during the period of such association, it will send and receive data from said first internetworking node but not any other internetworking node;
• and
• switching means for disassociating said wireless node from said first internetworking node and associating it with a second internetworking node listed in the table when a second criterion is fulfilled whereby the prescribed period of time is chosen with respect to the likelihood of relative movement and likely speed of movement between the wireless node and the internetworking node and frequency of data transmission from said internetworking node such that said internetworking node is likely to be removed from the table for failure to meet the first criterion after it and the wireless node are no longer within data-exchanging range.

A controller for a wireless node adapted to send data to and receive data from any of a plurality of internetworking nodes and to choose which of said internetworking nodes it will send data to and receive data from, said controller comprising:

• a memory for maintaining a table of interconnecting nodes meeting a first criterion wherein each internetworking node broadcast a beacon with its network address once in a predetermined period, and that such beacon from each internetworking node in the table shall have been received by said wireless node within a prescribed period of time, the prescribed period being at least as long as the predetermined period;
• means for accessing the table for deleting interconnecting nodes not meeting a predefined tracking criterion;
• means for associating said wireless node with a first internetworking node listed in the table so that, during the period of such association, it will send and receive data from said first internetworking node but not any other internetworking node;
• and
• switching means for disassociating said wireless node from said first internetworking node and associating it with a second internetworking node listed in the table when a second criterion is fulfilled whereby the prescribed period of time and the predetermined period are chosen with respect to the likelihood of relative movement and likely speed of movement between the wireless node and the internetworking node such that said internetworking node is likely to be removed from the table for failure to meet the first criterion after it and the wireless node are no longer within data-exchanging range.

A controller for a wireless node adapted to send data to and receive data from any of a plurality of internetworking nodes and to choose which of said internetworking nodes it will send data to and receive data from, said controller comprising:

• means for maintaining a table of which internetworking nodes meet a first criterion that data from each internetworking node in the table shall have been received by said wireless node within a prescribed period of time;
• means for associating said wireless node with a first internetworking node listed in the table so that, during the period of such association, it will send and receive data from said first internetworking node but not any other internetworking node;
• and
• switching means for disassociating said wireless node from said first internetworking node and associating it with a second internetworking node listed in the table when a second criterion that the second internetworking node shall have been added to the table since the time of association of the wireless node with the first internetworking node is fulfilled.

A controller for a wireless node adapted to send data to and receive data from any of a plurality of internetworking nodes and to choose which of said internetworking nodes it will send data to and receive data from, said controller comprising:

• a memory for maintaining a table of interconnecting nodes meeting a first criterion wherein data from each internetworking node in the table shall have been received by said wireless node within a prescribed period of time;
• means for accessing the table for deleting interconnecting nodes not meeting a predefined tracking criterion;
• means for associating said wireless node with a first internetworking node listed in the table so that, during the period of such association, it will send and receive data from said first internetworking node but not any other internetworking node;
• and
• switching means for disassociating said wireless node from said first internetworking node and associating it with a second internetworking node listed in the table when a second criterion is fulfilled wherein said second criterion being that the first and second internetworking nodes shall both be in the table, and the wireless node shall have been unable on at least one occasion to send data to the first internetworking node and receive back from said first internetworking node an acknowledgement that such data had been received successfully.

A controller for a wireless node adapted to send data to and receive data from any of a plurality of internetworking nodes and to choose which of said internetworking nodes it will send data to and receive data from, said controller comprising:

• means for maintaining a table of which internetworking nodes meet a first criterion that each internetworking node broadcast a beacon with its network address once in a predetermined period, and that the beacon of at least one internetworking node other than the first internetworking node shall be received by a wireless node a predetermined number of times greater than 1 after the last time that the wireless node shall have received the beacon of the first internetworking node;
• means for associating said wireless node with a first internetworking node listed in the table so that, during the period of such association, it will send and receive data from said first internetworking node but not any other internetworking node;
• and
• switching means for disassociating said wireless node from said first internetworking node and associating it with a second internetworking node listed in the table when a second criterion that the first internetworking node shall not be in the table is fulfilled.

A controller for a wireless node adapted to send data to and receive data from any of a plurality of internetworking nodes and to choose which of said internetworking nodes it will send data to and receive data from, said controller comprising:

• means for maintaining a table of which internetworking nodes meet a first criterion that each internetworking broadcast a beacon with its network address once in a predetermined period, and that the beacon of at least one internetworking node other than the first internetworking node shall be received by a wireless node a predetermined number of times greater than 1 after the last time that the wireless node shall have received the beacon of the first internetworking node;
• means for associating said wireless node with a first internetworking node listed in the table so that, during the period of such association, it will send and receive data from said first internetworking node but not any other internetworking node;
• and
• switching means for disassociating said wireless node from said first internetworking node and associating it with a second internetworking node listed in the table when a second criterion that the second internetworking node shall have been added to the table since the time of association of the wireless node with the first internetworking node is fulfilled.

A controller for a wireless node adapted to send data to and receive data from any of a plurality of internetworking nodes and to choose which of said internetworking nodes it will send data to and receive data from, said controller comprising:

• means for maintaining a table of which internetworking nodes meet a first criterion that each internetworking node broadcast a beacon with its network address once in a predetermined period, and that the beacon of at least one internetworking node other than the first internetworking node shall be received by a wireless node a predetermined number of times greater than 1 after the last time that the wireless node shall have received the beacon of the first internetworking node;
• means for associating said wireless node with a first internetworking node listed in the table so that, during the period of such association, it will send and receive data from said first internetworking node but not any other internetworking node;
• and
• switching means for disassociating said wireless node from said first internetworking node and associating it with a second internetworking node listed in the table when a second criterion that the first and second internetworking nodes shall both be in the table, and the wireless node shall have been unable on at least one occasion to send data to the first internetworking node and receive back from said first internetworking node an acknowledgement that such data had been received successfully is fulfilled.

A method of selecting one of a plurality of internetworking nodes to and from which a wireless node is to send data comprising:

• maintaining a table of which internetworking nodes meet a first criterion that each internetworking node broadcast a beacon with its network address once in a predetermined period and that the beacon of at least one internetworking node other than the first internetworking node shall be received by the wireless node a predetermined number of times greater than 1 after the last time that the wireless node shall have received the beacon of the first internetworking node;
• associating said wireless node with a first internetworking node in that table so that, during the period of such association, it will send and receive data from said first internetworking node but not any other internetworking node;
• and
• disassociating said wireless node form said first internetworking node and associating it with a second internetworking node listed in the table when a second criterion is fulfilled.

A method of selecting one of a plurality of internetworking nodes to and from which a wireless node is to send data comprising:

• maintaining a table of internetworking nodes meeting a first criterion that data from each internetworking node in the table shall have been received by said wireless node within a prescribed period of time being chosen with respect to the likelihood of relative movement and likely speed of movement between the wireless node and the internetworking node and frequency of data transmission from said internetworking node such that said internetworking node is likely to be removed from the table for failure to meet the first criterion after it and the wireless node are no longer within data-exchanging range;
• accessing said table and deleting interconnecting nodes not meeting a predefined tracking criterion;
• associating said wireless node with a first internetworking node in the table so that, during the period of such association, it will send and receive data from said first internetworking node but not any other internetworking node;
• and
• disassociating said wireless node from said first internetworking node and associating it with a second internetworking node listed in the table when a second criterion is fulfilled.

A method of selecting one of a plurality of internetworking nodes to and from which a wireless node is to send data comprising:

• maintaining a table of internetworking nodes meeting a first criterion being that each internetworking node broadcast a beacon with its network address once in a predetermined period, and that such beacon from each internetworking node in the table shall have been received by said wireless node within a prescribed period of time, the prescribed period being at least as long as the predetermined period;
• and
• the prescribed period of time and the predetermined period are chosen with respect to the likelihood of relative movement and likely speed of movement between the wireless node and the internetworking node such that said internetworking node is likely to be removed from the table for failure to meet the first criterion after it and the wireless node are no longer within data-exchanging range;
• accessing said table and deleting interconnecting nodes not meeting a predefined tracking criterion;
• associating said wireless node with a first internetworking node in the table so that, during the period of such association, it will send and receive data from said first internetworking node but not any other internetworking node;
• and
• disassociating said wireless node from said first internetworking node and associating it with a second internetworking node listed in the table when a second criterion is fulfilled.

A method of selecting one of a plurality of internetworking nodes to and from which a wireless node is to send data comprising:

• maintaining a table of which internetworking nodes meet a first criterion that data from each internetworking node in the table shall have been received by said wireless node within a prescribed period of time;
• associating said wireless node with a first internetworking node in the table so that, during the period of such association, it will send and receive data from said first internetworking node but not any other internetworking node;
• and
• disassociating said wireless node form said first internetworking node and associating it with a second internetworking node listed in the table when a second criterion that the second internetworking node shall have been added to the table since the time of association of the wireless node with the first internetworking node is fulfilled.

A method of selecting one of a plurality of internetworking nodes to and from which a wireless node is to send data comprising:

• maintaining a table of internetworking nodes which meet a first criterion being that data from each internetworking node in the table shall have been received by said wireless node within a prescribed period of time;
• accessing said table and deleting interconnecting nodes not meeting a predefined tracking criterion;
• associating said wireless node with a first internetworking node in the table so that, during the period of such association, it will send and receive data from said first internetworking node but not any other internetworking node;
• and
• disassociating said wireless node from said first internetworking node and associating it with a second internetworking node listed in the table when a second criterion is fulfilled, wherein said second criterion being that the first and second internetworking nodes shall both be in the table, and the wireless node shall have been unable on at least one occasion to send data to the first internetworking node and receive back from said first internetworking node an acknowledgement that such data has been received successfully.

A method of selecting one of a plurality of internetworking nodes to and from which a wireless node is to send data comprising:

• maintaining a table of which internetworking nodes meet a first criterion that each internetworking node broadcast a beacon with its network address once in a predetermined period and that the beacon of at least one internetworking node other than the first internetworking node shall be received by the wireless node a predetermined number of times greater than 1 after the last time that the wireless node shall have received the beacon of the first internetworking node;
• associating said wireless node with a first internetworking node in that table so that, during the period of such association, it will send and receive data from said first internetworking node but not any other internetworking node;
• and
• disassociating said wireless node from said first internetworking node and associating it with a second internetworking node listed in the table when a second criterion that the first internetworking node shall not be in the table is fulfilled.

A method of selecting one of a plurality of internetworking nodes to and from which a wireless node is to send data comprising:

• maintaining a table of which internetworking nodes meet a first criterion that each internetworking node broadcast a beacon with its network address once in a predetermined period and that the beacon of at least one internetworking node other than the first internetworking node shall be received by the wireless node a predetermined number of times greater than 1 after the last time that the wireless node shall have received the beacon of the first internetworking node;
• associating said wireless node with a first internetworking node in that table so that, during the period of such association, it will send and receive data from said first internetworking node but not any other internetworking node;
• and
• disassociating said wireless node from said first internetworking node and associating it with a second internetworking node listed in the table when a second criterion that the first and second internetworking node shall both be in the table, and the wireless node shall have been unable on at least one occasion to send data to the first internetworking node and receive back from said first internetworking node an acknowledgement that such data had been received successfully is fulfilled.